Antirolling pneumatic suspension device



June 20, 1933. J. MERCIER ANTIROLLING PNEUMATIC SUSPENSION DEVICE Filed Dec. ll, 1930 INVENTOR Jim/v Mmc/5R '.JY

ATTORNEY `Patented June 20, 1933 PATENT OFFICE I JEAN um, 'OF PARIS, FRANCE ANTIBLLING IPNEUMTIG SUSPENSION DEVICE Application led December 11, 1 930, Serial No. 501,520, and in France January 1S, 1925.

My invention relates to shock absorbing devices and more particularly to a'. pneumatic anti-rolling device for use upon road vehicles and the like.

5 Itis an object of my invention to provide nmeans for increasing the iexibility of the pneumatic suspension device when wheels at opposite sides of the vehicle move toward 'or away from the vehicle at the same time, or

1Q when the axle moves vertically and parallel lto its original position', and to decrease the flexibility or increase the resistanceof the shock absorbing device whenlonly one wheel moves toward orfrom the vehicle, or when the axle oscillates angularly about its, middle portion.

It is also an object of the invention to pro.- vide a shock absorbing device. of the type described which will operate quickly andy 2o smoothly to dampen any rolling action due to uneven shocks upon the -wheels of a vehicle. j I

In describing the invention, reference will bemade to its use in conjunction with a vehicle having an axle ywhich may move toward and away from the vehicle as ,a unit, which motion I shall callv rectilinear motion, and which may oscillate Vangularly with respect to the' vehicle, which motion I shall call angular oscillations. It is not, however, intendf ed to confine-the-use ofthe invention to (a vehicle supported in this manner, since it may also be used with vehicles in which each l wheel is supported separately and without having axles connecting them. Y I obtain my improved result by adding to .apneumatic shock absorbing device a cham- .ber having a variable volume, so arranged 40 that the volume of thesaid chamber will increase or diminish in order to increase 0r diminish the flexibility of the suspension device according to whether the axle is given a rectilinear movement or an angular oscillation about itscentre.

' In describing the invention, reference will be made to the drawing in which Figures 1 and 2 are diagrammatic views illustrating the principle of the invention. Figure 3 is a constructional form Yof the differential piston shown in Figure 2, said piston being shown in section.. y

In Figure 1 the pneumatic suspension device is represented by the piston l which is actuated by the movement of one of the vehicle wheels relative to the vehicle frame, and by a cylinder 2 which is secured to the vehicle frame. The cylinder 2 is connected by a tube tothe reservoir 3 which, in turn, is connected by a tube to the cylinder 4 which confines a 60 variable volume of air, depending upon the position of the piston 5. The piston 5 is actuated so as to move in a direction o posite to that of the piston 1 when the ve icle axle is given a rectilinear motion and so as 55 to move in the same direction as piston 1 when the axle is given an angular oscillation. The piston 5v may be actuated, for example, in proportion to the displacement of the wheel which is on the same axle as the wheel which actuates the piston 1. Y

From the above description it is apparent that when the' Wheels of a vehicle strike al bump or depression which causes the axle" to be given a rectilinear motion, the pistons 75 1 and 5'will Imove in opposite directions so as to decrease the compression which would ordinarily result in a cylinder of a shock absorbing device withoutan added chamber such as described. Thus, with such a-motion 30 of the axle the flexibility of the shock absorbing device would be increased. When, on the/other hand, the wheels of the vehicle strike bumps or depressions in such a manner that the axle would be given an angular oscil- 8.5 lation, the pistons' 1 and 5'will move in the same direction so as to increase the compression within the cylinder 2'. With such a motion of the axle the flexibility of the shock absorbing device vwill he decreased and the .rollin action will be dampened.

. In igure 2 I have illustrated a particularly advantageous arrangement of my invention, wherein a piston 6, like.. piston 1, is actuated bythe movement of the wheel "on the opposite side of the vehicle from that actuating the piston 1. The piston 6 .operates within a cylinder 7, like cylinder 2, which is fixed to the vehicle frame 'pon'tlieopposite side of the vehicle ronr'th cylinde 'The 10.(

pressed and rarefied upon movement of the pistons within the cylinders. l The upper portion of the cylinder 2 is connected to the lower portion of the cylinder 7 by a nonexpansible tube 8 of small diameter, and the lower por- 13 tion of the cylinder 2 is connected to the upper portion of the cylinder 7 by a similar tube 9. .The piston stems which actuate the pistons 1 and 6 are of such size that the effective surface area of the upper surface of the piston is considerably greater than that of the lower surface. *e

The anti-rollin device illustrated in Figure 2 and describe above operates as follows: Suiiicient compressed air is forced into the cylinders 2 and 7 to carry a portion of the Weight of the vehicleand to suspend the latter so that the istons 1 and 6 are normally at about the mi dle of their respective cylinders. When the wheels of the vehicle strike a sharp rise or de ression which tends to give the axle a recti inear movement the pistons 1 and 6 will be moved in like directions with the result that the normal compression' will not take'place because of the increased' capacity beneath the piston in the opposite Cy piston. Since, however, the volume of the air space beneath each piston is considerably less than that of the space above the piston on the opposite side, there will be some retarding effect even with this type of motion.

When the wheels of the vehicle strike a sharp rise or depression which tends to give the axle an angular oscillation, the pistons 1 and 6 will be actuated in op osite directions in the c linders 2 and 7. T e opposite motions o the pistons will increase the compression upon the air confined beneath the downwardly moving piston and above the upwardly movin piston with the result that the rolling motion of the vehicle will be quickly but smoothly dampened. The smaller volume and effective surface beneath the piston, as compared to that above the piston, will accentuate the compression resulting from such opposite movement of the pistons.

In practice these two effects will cooperate t0 a. orda very easy operation of the suS- pension device and will quickly decrease the i undesirable rolling of the vehicle. l

A constructional ,form of the cylinder and piston illustrated in Figure 2 is shown solely by Way of example in Figure 3. In this embodiment the piston 6 is shaped to give a tight sliding connection within the cylinder 7 which is fixed to the frame of the Vehicle by suitable bolts. A suitable packing ring may be provided in the piston 6 to. prevent passage of air between it and the walls of the e y cylinder. The

IThe space 10 is li inder, as a result of the movement of that piston 6A is actuated by the stem 13 telescoplcall enclosing the member 14, which is connecte to the axle. The member 14 has its end hollowed out to receive the coil sprin 15 which is positioned to cooperate .wlth te compressed air to resiliently support the vehicle and to absorb a ortion of the shocks transmitted from the w eel to the piston 6 through the telescopically positioned members 13 and 14. The sleeve 13 is preferably of such an outside diameter as to provide an annular chamber 10, havin a volume per'inch of length which is pre erably less than half of that of the space above the piston and which presents an effective piston, surface less than half of that of the upper surface of the piston.` The space above the piston 6 is connected, through the port 8 and the tube 9, to a space corresponding to 10 beneath a similar plston 1 in a similar cylinder 2 upon the o posite side of the vehicle.

kewise connected through the port 9 and the conduit 8 to a space above the piston 1 corresponding to that above the piston 6. The pipes 11 and 12 are provided lto supply and exhaust, respectively, the comor below the piston may be varied by othersuitable means, for instance, by a variation in the length of wall surface or by the introduction of an incompressible litluld. If the incompressible liquid is introduced into the spaces above or below the piston, the quantity should not be suicient to cover the ports 8 or 9', since it is important, in obtaining a smooth shock absorbing action in a device of this type, that an air cushion be provided be-A neath the pistons as well as above them and also that the connectin a gaseous Huid rather t an with a more viscous Huid, such as oil, which would retard the coaction between the opposed cylinders.

It is quite apparent that in the devices described above, the rolling movement of the vehicle will be quickly dampened because of the cushioning action beneath the piston and .because of the practically'instantaneous cooperation between the cylinders on opposite sides, due to the use of a gaseous fluid beneath the pistons in the connecting tubes.

This application is a continuation of my application Serial No. 42,025, filed July 7, 1925.

The terms used in describing and claiming my invention have been used in their descriptive sense and not as words of limitation and it is intended to include within the scope of the appended claims all equivalents of the terms used.

What I claim is:

1. An anti-rolling and suspension device tubes be filled withv lll) for vehicle lier/'ing e freine member end en exie member e'lepted to oseiilete enel move laterally relative to seicl treme member, comprising e peir ci ciose-ci cgi/iinders supported hy one oi seid members enti e pair of pistons connected to the other of seid meinloers end adapted to :lit tightiy within seid cylinders, the upper sur'iece ereos oi pistons being more than twice es greet es their lower surface areas, e tube eonneoting the upper portion of each oi' seid cyiiniilers with the lower portion of the other cyiinder, enel e volume of compressed gaseous @uid confined beneath sei pistons in their normal position 2, An enti-rolling and suspension device for vehicles having e freine enti wheels adapted to support the freine but capable oit verticei movement relative thereto, comprisi ing e peir of closed cylinders eech havin e piston positioned to be actuated Within it y the vertical movement of one of the Wheels relative to the ironie, the upper surface arene of said pistons being more then twice es greet es their lower surface areas, e tube connect ing the upper portion of eachof soiti cylin1 ders, `With the lower portion of the other of sei cylinders, and e .volume or compressed gaseous Huid; conined beneath seid pistons in their normal position.

3. An enti-rolling device for e vehicle hev ing; e freine and Wheels adopted to support the ireme but capable of movement reletive thereto, comprising e, peir of dose@ cylind-ers each having pistons positioned to loe ectueted within it lov the verticel movement of one of the `Wheels, relative to the freine, the surfece .aree of the compression side of each of seid pistons when the comeI spending Wheel moves upwardly loeing more than twice as greet esthe surecenree of the other sicle of the piston, e tube connectn the portion of one of seid cyiiners lceyon the piston surface therein of greeter oren with the portion of the other of seid cylinders leeyond the piston surface therein oi smaller eren, eno e volume of compressed?. geseous iuid coniined beneath said pistons in their normal positions.

ln testimony whereof, I have signeolmy neme to this specicetion this 26 dey of Noveinher, 1930.

JEAN 'im @CMR 

